Chaos of Ming 1628

The county government office has finally fallen into his hands.

But if the Sun family doesn't include his name in the family genealogy, how will they obtain a literary inscription?

This is equivalent to an ID card. Without it, if someone is said to be entering the government as an official, even walking around would be difficult.

Sun Qing couldn't care less about that now; it was already September of the Tianqi era, and Wei Zhongxian would hang himself in November.

He was not a saint and could not save the Ming Dynasty. However, eliminating the eunuch faction at this time was clearly not a wise decision.

Now, Sun Qing understands even more clearly that money equals power, and in times of chaos, only those with power, connections, and money deserve to survive.

Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, Wei Zhongxian is currently the only one who can do all three of these things at the same time.

Emperor Chongzhen held imperial power, but the national treasury was empty. Despite a strong and well-equipped army, frequent mutinies occurred due to the inability to pay. The country was rotten both internally and externally, beyond any hope of recovery.

Wei Zhongxian was a menace, but his money was not.

Even though this money can't save the Ming Dynasty, it can save a region.

Sun Qing accepted Tian Ergeng's handwritten letter. Even without official approval, from this day forward, he could legitimately save the people.

Sun Qing's greatest advantage at present is not his position as acting county magistrate, but that he is the chosen one.

He only needs to save the people when they feel that God has intervened, and he can become a god.

On the day.

Tian Ergeng brought Ke Shi back to the capital, and Sun Qing stayed at the county government office.

Along with them, a dozen or so boxes of money were also brought into the county government office.

Meng Zhaoxiang and Su Jiuda stood together in the courtyard, looking at Shen Junru, who was guarding the gate, and Sun Qing, who was standing in the main courtyard, and the yamen runners who were bowing and scraping to Sun Qing. They were still stunned.

It was indeed much easier for scions of prominent families to enter the imperial court as officials than for ordinary people.

It is utterly perplexing that members of the Sun family were able to obtain official positions from the eunuch faction.

"Young Master Sun..." Su Jiuda began, but then realized his mistake: "Lord Sun..."

"Everything will remain the same. Now that I have this identity, it will be more convenient for me to serve the people," Sun Qing said frankly.

The two exchanged a glance, and the hint of doubt in their eyes gradually faded.

Meng Zhaoxiang breathed a sigh of relief, his voice filled with the joy of surviving a close call: "That's great, Young Master Sun is still Young Master Sun, he gave me quite a fright."

"I thought Young Master Sun had already become a member of the eunuch faction."

"Young Master Sun, Elder Meng didn't mean that. He was afraid the eunuch faction would pressure you." Su was shocked and quickly tried to smooth things over.

Sun Qing smiled easily: "Mr. Su, I understand. If Mr. Meng hadn't been so outspoken, how could he have returned from the capital?"

The three of them looked at each other and smiled.

With the atmosphere easing, Sun Qing finally spoke up, "Gentlemen, Mr. Su, you're probably a little more familiar with money matters. Please exchange all of this for silver as soon as possible."

He then turned to Meng Zhaoxiang and said, "Mr. Meng, I am completely unfamiliar with the cases and documents in the yamen. I would appreciate your guidance on this matter."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Sun Qing bowed deeply, acknowledging the two men's strength. He reasoned that if it weren't for the eunuch faction's dominance, they wouldn't have been stuck in Jiahe County, unable to achieve their ambitions.

"Gentlemen, I have no interest in the position of magistrate of Jiahe County. I only wish to do my best to ensure that the people of Jiahe County can live a good life."

"As for when the imperial court will send a magistrate, I have no time to worry about that."

For upright and distinguished scholars, integrity is of utmost importance. Such lofty character is beyond their reach.

It's not that they lack the will to serve the people; it's just that winning the hearts of the people is hard to come by. Doing things is one thing, but doing them well and convincingly is another.

The two men immediately bowed and said, "Young master, rest assured, with the two of us here, we will not allow any evil spirits or monsters in the yamen to get close to you."

"I will certainly fulfill the request you have made, young master."

Although everything was expected, I couldn't help but smile when I heard the affirmative answer.

The next step was to quickly inventory the government's assets and the backlog of cases.

Botou Riverside Restaurant, Wangjinlou, second-floor flat terrace.

Everything was ready, and although the literary gathering was still a day away, the venue had already been cleared out and was no longer open to the public.

A doorman was already standing at the entrance.

The carriage stopped, Yang Qingqing got out, and the boy followed behind.

The doorman recognized the two at a glance, quickly opened the door, and stepped aside to lead the way.

Inside the private room, an elderly man sat upright, dressed neatly with his hair perfectly styled.

On the table were piles of business cards and manuscripts, which Song Xian was examining one by one.

Upon hearing the door open, she looked up and quickly stood up: "Miss Yang, young master."

After the ceremony, a long sigh followed.

Yang Qingqing's eyes darkened, and she forced a bitter smile: "Sir, I know very well that I am not worthy to attend such a literary gathering."

"But I..."

"Why don't you deserve it?" the boy retorted, sticking his neck out. "All this time, you've been spending money and effort just to come and listen to this kind of pretentious stuff."

"What did you do wrong?"

"Little brother, don't say such things." Yang Qingqing's face turned cold, and she interrupted in a deep voice: "This is my own choice. You and I are not worthy of each other."

The boy was filled with resentment.

Yang Qingqing hurriedly apologized, "Sir, my younger brother... sigh! He's really so insensible."

"He's not entirely wrong," Song Xian stroked his beard. "One cannot choose their birth, but in life, the most important thing is to be kind at heart."

"Moreover, Miss Yang is exceptionally talented and should not underestimate herself."

Yang Qingqing smiled sheepishly.

The boy nodded and laughed, "You old man, you always know how to talk. You always have a nice way of speaking."

"Hahaha, to put it bluntly, with your personality, can you handle it?" Song Xian laughed and joked.

Yang Qingqing gave him a helpless, reproachful look.

The boy made a face: "I'm going to have some tea. I can't be bothered to listen to your goosebump-inducing nonsense."

"Sir, I have also received a visiting card. Please take a look."

After Yang Qingqing finished speaking, she handed over the name card.

Song Xian hurriedly accepted it with both hands, saying solemnly, "For Miss Yang to personally deliver this, who is this distinguished scholar? He must be someone of great importance."

"I'm afraid I'll have to pay my respects properly."

As he spoke, he slowly unfolded the name card, and when he saw the contents, his face turned deathly pale.

"Sir?" Yang Qingqing prompted from the side, "Do you recognize this person?"

Song Xian looked left and right, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh. He finally understood why he had been forced to write that impeachment memorial in the first place—it turned out…

"Sir? What's wrong?" Yang Qingqing's voice was full of worry.

Song Xian sighed deeply, both amused and exasperated: "Young Master Sun's calligraphy, oh, Young Master Sun's calligraphy!"

"It's just so-so, really just so-so, so incredibly so."

He was being quite polite; he practically said that my handwriting was already much better when I was five. These characters are too neat and orderly; they're not ugly, but they lack any vitality.

When commenting on others, one can describe their writing as either vigorous and powerful, or delicate and graceful.

And his handwriting... sigh!

After admiring the calligraphy for a long time, Song Xian could only say, "The characters are so upright and square."

Yang Qingqing covered her mouth, smiling demurely, and handed over another piece of paper: "Sir, please take a look at this."

Song Xian unfolded the document and looked at it, then closed his eyes in pain.

After a long pause, he managed to stammer out, "Good, good! Look at that, no sorrow or weeping, only tender affection. Truly moving!"

"Sir, why do I feel that the simple language is too straightforward, yet it contains the genuine emotions of a Tang Dynasty farewell? The word 'gently' is quite nice; it's refreshing at first glance, but becomes bland upon further reading."

"It's hard to describe. To say it's vulgar is to say it's elegant in every way. To say it's refined is to say it's unbearably vulgar."

When Yang Qingqing began to comment, her tone suddenly became sharp: "Very vulgar yet very elegant, neither good nor bad."

"Sigh!" Song Xian casually chimed in, "When he was little, we told him to study hard, but he just went off to be naughty!"

"Oh? So you knew Young Master Sun when you were a child?" A sharp glint flashed in Yang Qingqing's eyes.

Song Xian smiled calmly: "Others may not recognize me, but I do."

"That young master Sun is very good at hiding his talent." Yang Qingqing's tone suddenly became serious: "Whether it's his calligraphy or his poetry, it's all ambiguous and impossible to judge its quality."

"That's truly brilliant!"

"You flatter me. That rascal doesn't deserve Miss Yang's praise." Song Xian quickly waved his hand, "Let's not let him embarrass himself at tomorrow's literary gathering."

As he spoke, Song Xian was about to drop his name card.

Yang Qingqing quickly pressed her hand down, her expression darkening slightly: "In the end, the master still dislikes my background and is very wary of me."

"Miss Yang, you're overthinking it."

"Is that so?" Yang Qingqing's lips curled slightly, as if she were smiling, but there was no warmth in it. "Then let him come tomorrow!"

"I've taken the liberty of inviting an old friend to meet tomorrow; I'm sure you'll both be happy."